This activity focuses on the relationship between science of looking for life and the tools, on vehicles such as the Mars Rover, that make it possible. Learners will create their own models of a Mars rover. They determine what tools would be...(View More) necessary to help them better understand Mars (and something about life on Mars/its habitability). Then they work in teams to complete a design challenge where they incorporate these elements into their models, which must successfully complete a task. Teams may also work together to create a large-scale, lobby-sized version that may be put on display in the library to engage their community. The activity also includes specific tips for effectively engaging girls in STEM. This is activity 6 in Explore: Life on Mars? that was developed specifically for use in libraries.(View Less)

Learners will construct a mock-up of planetary surface rover. They begin by exploring the importance of engineering in our society and work as a team to build a prototype of the team’s rover using student science notebooks and team sketches as a...(View More) guide. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and includes: TEKS Details (Texas Standards alignment), Essential Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, three Vocabulary Cards, and a Mini-Lesson. This is lesson 13 of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum.(View Less)

This is an activity about albedo, which is a measurement of the reflectance of a planetary surface. Learners will classify areas on an image in terms of albedo values and then sketch their own portion of an image from space. These sketches are...(View More) assembled to view the larger image that the class or group has created.(View Less)

Students will learn more about how the orbit of the International Space Station changes as a result of atmospheric drag through reading a NASA press release and viewing a NASA eClips video segment. Then students will read a paragraph describing the...(View More) increases and decreases in the orbit altitude to calculate the final orbit altitude. This activity is part of the Space Math multi-media modules that integrate NASA press releases, NASA archival video, and mathematics problems targeted at specific math standards commonly encountered in middle school textbooks. The modules cover specific math topics at multiple levels of difficulty with real-world data and use the 5E instructional sequence.(View Less)

This series of curriculum support materials and classroom activities explores how our understanding of the nature of the universe has changed during the past 100 years. Students examine the process of science through the stories of the people and...(View More) the discoveries that caused our understanding to evolve from a static universe to a universe whose expansion is accelerating. The series illustrates the nature of science by tracing the process of discovery from the confirmation of Einstein's theory of gravity, to Hubble's evidence for the expanding universe, to the detection of the microwave background, and finally to the discovery of dark energy. The series includes six posters, each resembling the front page of a newspaper from a particular time in this history with articles describing the discoveries. Each poster is accompanied by an online teacher guide and 4-5 downloadable, inquiry-based lessons. Downloadable newsletter versions of the poster are available for individual student use, with three editions for different reading levels (Early Edition for 7-8 grade readers, Home Edition for 9-10 grade readers, and Late Edition for 11-12 grade readers). Lesson plans can be found by following the link from Teacher Resources to Curriculum Tools to Sortable Table of the Lessons.(View Less)

Math skills are applied throughout this investigation of windows. Starting with basic window shapes, students determine area and complete a cost analysis, then do the same for windows of unconventional shapes. Students will examine photographs taken...(View More) by astronauts through windows on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station to explore the inverse relationship between lens size and area covered. This lesson is part of the Expedition Earth and Beyond Education Program.(View Less)

In this lesson, students compare different habitats based on satellite imagery and identify land features in the satellite image. This is lesson 3 in a unit on remote sensing that is a companion to an interactive adventure that uses a Landsat mosaic...(View More) of Arizona as the interface. Students need to interpret satellite imagery to receive clues to Echo the Bat's location. As students find Echo, additional content about remote sensing and biodiversity is introduced.(View Less)

This lesson is about robotic exploration. After reading and discussing the book "Touchdown Mars!," learners will work individually or in pairs to create their own Mars ABC book based on their current level of Mars knowledge. This is lesson 7 of 16...(View More) in the MarsBots learning module.(View Less)

This lesson is about cleanroom technology and the importance of contamination control. Learners will discover the different types of industries that use cleanrooms. The activity centers on drawing a parallel between suiting up for the Genesis...(View More) cleanroom and dressing to do a certain job or activity, and presenting the findings to the class. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. Video and audio clips are provided. This lesson 3 of 10 from the Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom module.(View Less)